Nadi, Fiji – 09 September 2025 โ Solomon Islandsโ urban water infrastructure received a significant boost today as the European Union (EU) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced a โฌ24 million (approximately SBD 226 million) funding package for the upgrade of the countryโs water and sanitation system. European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Sรญkela, made the announcement at the EU-Pacific Business Forum in Fiji on 05 September.
Commissioner Sรญkela said: โClean water and safe sanitation mean healthier families, stronger communities, and greater resilience against climate shocks. Through Global Gateway, the EU and Solomon Islands invest to modernise urban water and sanitation โ an investment that protects public health while also supporting the social and economic well-being of communities.โ
Given the rapid urbanisation forecasted in the Solomon Islands, with Honiara’s population expected to triple in the coming decades, this investment will enhance access to safe water and improved sanitation for the countryโs urban and peri-urban populations.
Under the agreement, the EIB will provide a loan of โฌ14.4 million (approximately SBD 136 million) complemented by a โฌ9.6 million (approximately SBD 90 million) grant from the EU, under the EU Global Gateway strategy implemented in a Team Europe approach.
The Urban Water Supply and Sanitation System Project (UWSSSP) will benefit the greater Honiara area, along with Auki, Gizo, Noro, Munda, and Tulagi, with goals to enhance water efficiency, climate resilience, and the sustainability of urban water infrastructure.
This initiative continues the tradition of fruitful cooperation between EU institutions and the Solomon Islands Government, emphasising the shared commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the Goal 6 on Clean Water and Sanitation.
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About Global Gateway
Global Gateway is the EU’s positive offer to reduce the worldwide investment disparity and boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems.
The Global Gateway strategy embodies a Team Europe approach that brings together the European Union, EU Member States, and European development finance institutions. This approach aims to mobilise up to โฌ300 billion in public and private investments from 2021 to 2027, creating essential links rather than dependencies, and closing the global investment gap.
[Press Release]
